Why do Rabbits eat their babies?

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Why do Rabbits eat their babies?

Female rabbits will kill their children for various purposes. If the rabbits are not given enough food before and after the birth of the babies, then they will not have enough food to feed their babies. Hence, the adult mother rabbits kill their young ones so that the child does not need to be fed. The mother rabbit do not kill the young rabbits if she is mother for the first time. If the mother rabbit is tired enough and is unable to tolerate the birth process, then she rarely kills the young.

If the mother rabbit kills its young ones repeatedly then there is chance for that mother to be sent away from the group. Rabbits eat their babies and they monitor the children before they eat. If the babies do not move and are found to be dead, the mother rabbit will try to revive the baby by licking at it. People who raise rabbit as pet animal were reported to have observed that rabbits kill their children only if there is something that is wrong with them. If the rabbit thinks that it cannot handle the entire litter, she will separate them and feed each of them separately. But, those that were separated will try to survive without fur which can make them warm.
If the mother rabbit feels that the predators can cause harm to her babies, she will breed the litter later. If the mother rabbits cannot lactate, she cannot feed her children and hence she may eat her babies. The other animals should not go close to the children otherwise the babies will be eaten in order to protect them. The father rabbit will eat the babies if he wants to mate the female rabbit again. There are so many reasons for the rabbits to kill their babies which might be simple or complex.

Author: Hari M

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